Accidents Happen
by Mrs.AliceKirkland-Jones
Summary: Alice is left alone to care for a sick Avery and a bored Tobias. With two toddlers, and an attempt at a family dinner, what could go wrong? Well, as we all know, accidents happen. Written with PinkAddict.


Alice rolled her eyes in annoyance at the ridiculously loud cartoon from the other room, slightly glad that she only had to deal with one of her children at the moment. Avery was upstairs napping, sick as he was, the poor little bugger. His fever had, luckily, decreased since this morning, but it was still pretty high up on the scale - a good thirty-nine degrees. The little lad had already thrown up twice - he got his horrible immune system from his mother, who often had colds, and usually got the flu when it came around. Upon Alice's suggestion, Tobias tried to steer clear of his twin that day, not bothering him and staying downstairs with his fretting mother. He was the one watching _Spongebob_at volume level fifty-three.

Amelia was staying over with Russia and China, having a playdate with their son Alexei. The little dear was so shy, and Amelia was just so infatuated with him, it scared the anxious child. He was older than her, although only by a few months, meaning the two had close to the same interests. Alice thought it was downright adorable and amusing that her child already had a crush on the boy, seeing as Alfred, Ivan and Chun-Yan regularly got into spats. Amelia was one of those children that was already attractive - a beautiful little girl with golden curls down to her shoulders and bright blue eyes, little brown freckles decorating her nose- it really wasn't surprising seeing as both of her parents were _gorgeous_- and Alice could already tell that little Amelia was going to have a long trail of admirers.

She growled, giving a particularly hard chop to the carrot she was cutting up for the soup. Like hell anybody was going to touch her baby! Alice's pace on the carrots returned to normal fairly quickly, her anger replaced with the exhaustion of not sleeping more than a six hours in three days. She was tired, having only been sick a few days before Avery caught whatever it was she'd had, if she'd had anything at all. She needed a nap. Good god she needed a nap.

There was a crash, causing her to wince. "Tobias! What on earth are you doing in there?!" She left the mangled vegetable on the chopping board, stomping into the den, the floorboards creaking loudly. Tobias sat, watching TV, perfectly content and comfortable. He blinked up at her in confusion as she came into the room. He then grinned brightly at her, waving and beginning to babble on to her about the show.

"Mummy! Come watch!" He giggled, patting the seat next to him with his chubby fists. Alice sighed, realizing that -luckily - the sound was from the show, and decided that she _was_in need of a short break. She padded over to him softly, her bare feet making a cute, quiet slapping sound at she did so. She sat on the spot indicated for her, Tobias automatically curling into her side. She smiled softly down at her little boy, gently running her hands through his hair.

"Hello, love."

"Hello Mummy!" He giggled, burying his face in her side. She chuckled, patting the boy's back. He was almost identical to his father, minus the fact that he didn't wear glasses. At least not yet. America hadn't worn glasses when he was younger either, only after the war.

"What are you watching?" She asked to distract herself from the depressing topic, even though the answer was already painfully obvious.

He turned his head, grinning up at her. "Spun'bob!" He responded enthusiastically. His attention was brought back to the screen only a moment later, not quite noticing his mother discreetly grabbing the remote and turning down the television to a much more bearable volume. Tobias giggled at something on the show, more than likely some stupid face a character had made. She smiled hearing her son giggle, even if the show wasn't exactly her favorite. Although, she did catch on to some of the adult jokes. She found them either irritating or amusing, it really depended on her mood, as did most things. What really make her chuckle was how the twins would wrinkle their noses when they couldn't understand why their mother was laughing at something that wasn't even a joke to them.

She curled her feet up beside her on the couch, deciding to sit for a bit. The episode was practically over anyhow, and this particular was one they had already seen multiple times before. It was heavily laden in adult jokes, most of them not even remotely discreet. She couldn't believe how sexual it could get at times, and she wondered why it was even still allowed on the air. She supposed it was because the children wouldn't understand them whether they were there or not.

A piercing wail tore her from her thoughts. Shooting up from her spot, she listened for it again, hearing her name and the sound of retching. Oh goodness, Avery had gotten sick again. The poor thing. Alice still felt some aftereffects from when _she_'d felt ill, and she hadn't thrown up in almost two days.

"Mummy? Where you going?" Tobias looked at her sadly, his bright blue eyes, filling to the brim with tears. She sighed softly, bending to his level.

"Your brother just sicked himself again, love. Mummy has to go and take care of him. I'll be back down in a few minutes." He nodded, sniffling as the tears spilled. It broke Alice's heart, but she knew Avery needed her more right then.

Giving her son's hand a quick squeeze and a kiss on the head, Alice sprinted up the stairs two at a time. She was in her room - where her other son resided - in seconds. He was seated in the middle of the floor, collapsed from where he couldn't make it to the bathroom in time. He was absolutely _covered_in vomit, and she mentally cringed at the thought of touching it. However, her concern won the war against her disgust, and she soon found herself crouched down at his level, rubbing his back as he emptied his stomach again and again, even after nothing was left. The string of yellowish bile dribbled down his chin as he sobbed, hiccuping slightly.

"Are you all done now, baby?" She spoke softly to him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. Avery nodded shakily, pulling himself into a more comfortable sitting position. She patted his back, gently lifting his tiny figure into her arms. "Let's go get you cleaned up, yeah?" He nodded again, burying his face in her shoulder. She frowned at the poor toddler sitting on her hip, covered in his own stomach fluids.

'_Poor baby,'_

Careful not to jostle him too much, she moved slowly to the bathroom connected to the room, wrinkling her nose as she avoided the pile of orangish vomit on the shiny wooden floor. She placed him on the tiled floor of the en suite bathroom, and carefully raised his arms above his head and removed his ruined pajama shirt from his body, the soaked fabric clinging to him. She wet a washcloth at the sink and wiped any vomit off his face and torso. She looked at him, noticing that he was beginning to fall asleep.

"Stay awake a little longer, poppet. Mummy still has to give you a bath." She rubbed his head, leaning over to turn the nozzle on the huge jetpool bathtub. The steaming water poured into the bathtub rather quickly, and Alice soon found herself lowering her now naked child into the watery depths. Despite how sick he felt, Avery couldn't help splashing the water slightly with his chubby hands. He still loved the tub. Alice smiled gently as she began soaping up the sleepy baby, said boy almost falling asleep in her arms as the soothing water relaxed him and exhaustion took over.

"Don't fall asleep now." She whispered, giggling as she leaned over to kiss his nose. "Mummy's almost finished." Avery nodded tiredly, forcing his droopy eyes open as he laid his head on his mother's shoulder.

"I getted sick." Alice laughed softly, kissing his fluffy clean head, running her fingers through his hair.

"You did, baby. But you'll be better in a little while, I promise." She lifted him from the tub, pulling the drain plug, and setting the boy down on the bathmat. She wrapped him up in the fuzziest towel she could find, her only objective comfort.

He looked her in the eyes, his own bleary with sleep. "I go bed now, Mummy?"

She gave him a smile, trying to keep herself from squeezing him and causing him even more discomfort. _God_, were her children adorable. "In a minute, baby. We need to get you in some clean jammies." He let out a lone whine, not wanting to wait much longer to slip into a peaceful slumber. She carried him back into the bedroom, setting him on the edge of the large bed.

"Let Mummy go grab you some new pajamas. Do the bunny ones sound good to you, dear?" He smiled at her, nodding his head.

"I like bunnies," he giggled sleepily, his green eyes brightening. Alice bit back a squeal, her face flushing, her eyes widening. She screamed internally, not wanting to frighten the exhausted child.

_He's so cute~_

Alice stood, a bright smile taking over her face the moment her back was turned. She made her way down the hall to the twins' room, automatically going to the large, dark, handmade-by-Alfred wooden dresser by Tobias's bed and pulling out the pair of pajamas that he wanted. Heading back to the room, she walked in to find Avery about to fall asleep, which meant he would surely fall from the bed.

"Avery! Holy shit!" She shot over, barely catching the startled child before he hit the ground. "You can't fall asleep like that, love! You scared Mummy!" She hugged him tightly to her being, nuzzling her face into his soft strawberry blonde locks, so like her own.

Avery sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. He never wanted to scare his Mummy! "I-I sorry Mummy," He hiccuped. "I-I not wanted to scare you!"

Alice sighed, kissing his head, wiping the tears away with her fingers. "I know baby," she let out a shaky breath. "Let's get you in your jammies, yeah?" She smiled at him, sitting him back on the bed. His eyes brightened, any previous signs of being upset vanishing.

"Bunnies?" He whispered hopefully. Alice grinned at him.

"Bunnies." He smiled brightly up at her, holding his arms in the air so she could put the shirt on. Alice laughed, throwing her head back. She dressed him quickly, showing his face with kisses. Avery squealed, giggling contagiously. She pulled her large green duvet back, putting him in the space, to which he curled up happily, the kiss fest having tuckered him out.

He was asleep almost instantly, cute little breaths leaving him in short puffs. Alice just wished _she_could fall asleep that fast. She pulled the thick blankets up around him, tucking them in around his shoulders, before kissing his head. Luckily his fever flush had gone down since he'd emptied the contents of his stomach and taken his bath.

She sighed, turning on her heel and silently leaving the room that she and Alfred shared, although not before cleaning the soiled spot on the floor and changing from her soaked dress into a much drier skirt and blouse. She trotted back down the stairs quietly, almost unnoticeably.

"Tobias?" She spoke as she entered the living room, knocking lightly on the doorframe. He grinned, gasping at her with bright eyes that perfectly matched his sister's and father's.

"Mummy!" He squealed. "Mummy!"

Alice giggled, shushing him. His brother was asleep! He mimicked her hand gesture, making the 'shh' sound as well. Alice smiled, suppressing another giggle.

"What're you doing now, baby?" She sat next to him, hands in her lap.

"I colorin'. An' I watchin' Spun'bob!" He smiled brightly, showing her his teeth. He tilted the paper towards her, letting the crayons that were on it roll off. "Wan' see?" Alice nodded, looking over the frog. It was green, and he'd mostly just scribbled the color on it, rather than in the lines. "I maked a froggy!" Alice smiled, nodding her head again.

"What's his name, pumpkin?"

"It's a girl, Mummy!" He gave her an exasperated expression, so close to her own that she gave when people asked stupid questions. Alice blinked, a little startled.

"O-Oh. Sorry dear. What's _her _name?" She held back her laugh at his proudly approving face. She covered her smile with her hand, hoping the boy hadn't spotted it.

"Is aunty Fran!" He giggled, a flush on his face. Alice laughed out loud, clapping her hands, thinking of Marianne's face if she ever heard that.

"That's brilliant, darling! Why don't we show her some time?" Alice asked her son, a smile in her voice. He beamed.

"Can we?" He asked, his eyes widening in hope.

Alice leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Of course we can! I'm sure she'd absolutely love it!" Alice chuckled to herself, thinking of France's horrified face once more. She'd probably punch the Brit, but that was pretty damn funny!

Tobias suddenly looked at her in question, confusion written across his countenance. "Mummy, when dinner? I hungry!" He kicked his feet, staring at the television as they bounced off the material.

Alice frowned, remembering the abandoned carrots she left in the kitchen. "Soon, darling. But Mummy has to go finish the soup now. I'll be back in a bit, yes?"

"I come with!" Tobias slid from the couch, determination and hope on his young features. Alice chuckled.

"You can come with me Tobi, yes. You could…" She tapped her chin in thought, thinking of something the child could do to assist her. "You could set the table? How does that sound to you my love?" Tobias nodded enthusiastically, bouncing in place. Any faster, and Alice was afraid his head would fall right off his shoulders.

He put his little hands on his little hips. "I help!" He declared proudly, making Alice grin yet again. Alice led him into the kitchen, grabbing her white apron, which she'd discarded on her way to see Tobias the first time, and tying it around her waist. He wrapped his pudgy little fingers around the fabric, clutching it tightly. He allowed Alice to lead him around the kitchen as she pulled various cups and bowls from the cabinets.

"Now, you have to be very careful not to drop these, love. Your aunty and uncle will be over shortly, and we don't want any… blunders. Aunt Fran likes to complain. But Mummy is very good at making soup, so dinner will be delicious!" She tapped his nose gently, a bright smile on her face. Tobias nodded, taking the plastic plates and cups for both of his cousins and siblings. He toddled wobbly as he carried the heavy materials into the overly large dining room. Alice walked behind him, helping him place the dishes on the mahogany table.

Tobias enthusiastically placed his special puppy-printed bowl at one of the places, effectively claiming his spot. "This one mine, Mummy!" He looked up at her, pointing to the spot. She smiled, nodding seriously down at him.

"I can see that, love. But where shall Aurelian sit? Or Desiree? Or your big sister?" Tobias looked around the spots on the table, a deep, concentrated look on his face. God, was he adorable.

He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Avey sit here," He declared, putting Avery's dolphin bowl next to his own. "Dezzy sit... Dezzy sit here!" The bright pink bowl was carefully placed across from Avery's, the toddler grinning as he did so.

"Avery's sick, love, remember? We don't want anyone else to get sick, do we? He won't be joining us…" Tobias's face fell at Alice's reluctant comment. She rubbed her fingers through his hair in attempted comfort.

"O-Oh. No Avey. Okay..." He mumbled glumly, his bottom lip sticking out ever so slightly.

Alice rubbed her son's back comfortingly, squatting down next to him. "I know, love. I'm sorry." She hugged the small boy, who had begun to sniffle and cry quietly. He gripped his mother's dress tightly, wrapping his fat little arms around her neck. He hiccupped softly into the place where her neck and shoulder met. The miniscule sounds soon became full-fledged sobs, his body shaking until he couldn't even hold himself up. Alice shifted so her arms were under his legs and lifted him, her knees aching as she stood. She bounced him, walking into the kitchen, humming Tobias's favorite lullaby. She turned her head slightly and attempted to kiss his forehead, which was slightly awkward from their positioning. His body shuddered from the sobs wracking his body and she wondered how she was ever going to get him to stop.

Then she got an idea. A magnificent, wonderful idea.

"Tobias, love? Would you like to help me make some little sandwiches?" He sniffled, nodding his head.

"I-I wan' help!" He sobbed again, burrowing further into his mother. She smiled, rubbing circles on his back as she made her way back into the kitchen for the third time that day.

The child was still latched on to her when she reached the desired room, and she sighed. "Tobias? May I put you down now, love?"

Tobias nodded, freeing his arms from his tight hold. His face was still red and streaked with tears, but overall he looked like he'd just about recovered from his little upset. In fact, his excitement seemed to have returned. "I ready Mummy!" He clutched at her brown woolen skirt, almost attached to her leg.

Alice smiled yet again at his enthusiasm. "That's wonderful, sweetie."

He nodded again, smiling slightly. "I help!" He trotted over on his fat little legs over to the counter. He was far too short to even see over it, but he held on to it and tried nonetheless. "Mummy! Up, up!" He whined, bouncing in attempt to see above.

"Aright, love, alright. Be patient, Mummy had to make sure the stew wasn't burning." She rolled her eyes, scurrying across the room to her impatient little son. She hefted him on the counter, sitting him on the edge. Tobias swung his feet heavily, banging against the cabinets. Alice glared at him. "Tobias, please don't kick the cabinets. You're going to break them." The child just puffed his cheeks out, glaring down at his feet, continuing to swing his legs. "Tobias Foster Kirkland-Jones! Stop that this instant!" She slammed the spoon she was using to stir the beef stew roughly on the table, causing a harsh banging noise.

Tobias frowned. "That loud Mummy."

What a little shit!

"You're loud, Tobias!" She shrieked. He winced and stopped kicking his legs, his large eyes looking down guiltily.

"I sorry mummy," He said, looking at her pleadingly. His mother could be really scary! Alice growled, turning back to the steaming pot.

"Don't be a brat, Tobias." She spat, walking over to the fridge to get some sandwich meats.

Tobias stuck out his lower lip, his eyes filling with stinging tears once again. "I sorry Mummy. I still help?"

"Tobias, I think you should go watch the telly. Mummy can handle this." She put him on the floor, giving him a light shove towards the door. Tobias hiccupped, hot tears spilling at a rapid pace.

"B-But Mummy! I wan' help!" He sobbed, gripping - yet again - onto her skirt tightly.

"No, Tobias! Go in the den and be good!" She pointed to the door, frowning at him, her green eyes blazing with anger.

He let a small sob wrack his body before simply nodding, knowing that it was pointless to argue with his mother when she was like this. He released her dress, turning and running towards the swinging door. He passed through the room in a blind haze, tears swimming in his eyes. Everything was blurry and he couldn't see what he was doing, let alone what objects were in front of him.

Objects like the kitchen table. The kitchen table, which had breakable teacups. The kitchen table that was currently broken.

He rammed into the table leg, yelping as he landed on his butt. The table needed to be fixed, and Alfred had planned on fixing it that night when he got home, before supper, but he was late, so it had yet to be fixed. The leg snapped, dumping the contents on Tobias. Glass shattered both on and around him, causing him to scream as the now broken tea cups embedded themselves into the soft flesh of his arms.

Alice was beside him in an instant, the soup spoon still in her hands. It was dripping brown gravy onto the tiled kitchen floor so Alice chucked the spoon away, grabbing the shrieking child and rushing him to the bathroom. She grabbed the house phone along the way, dialing Alfred's number as she ran. He picked up quickly, and Alice could hear the roar of the meeting in the background.

"I need you to come home right now!"

"_Why?! Is everything okay?! Who's screaming?!" _

"Tobias! He ran into the table! Alfred, everything fell off! You're going to be okay, Tobi. Mummy's gonna make it all better in a moment, love." She kicked the bathroom door open, setting the profusely bleeding Tobias on the counter. He was sobbing and screaming at the same time, the embedded glass particles sending violent waves of pain up his arms.

"Where's the first aid kit?!"

"_U-Under the sink in the downstairs bathroom!" _She nodded, slamming the cabinets open. It sat right in her line of vision, and she wasted no time in yanking it out and forcing it open. She pulled both the tweezers and disinfectant spray out, setting them on the counter. She grabbed a washcloth, wetting it with the warm water she'd turned on.

"This is going to hurt a little, baby. I promise it will feel better afterwards, okay?" Tobias screamed again, unable to comprehend what she was saying.

Alice gritted her teeth, trying to keep her own tears from spilling, cursing herself for letting this happen. She shouldn't have yelled at him, and now he was going to pay for it. "I'm so sorry, love." Alice kissed his forehead before she carefully used the tweezers to dig into the one of the wounds, gripping the shattered piece of china between the pincers. Tobias wailed louder, and Alice winced. She pulled on the china slowly, hoping that small movements would make extracting it less painful for her baby. Tobias attempted yanking his arm from his mother, but she held it still, knowing that if he moved the shards would only embed themselves further. She jostled the shard slightly, trying to loosen any attachment it had to the reddened skin on his arm. It was a larger shard, which Alice had decided to grab first. She placed it in the garbage, going for another.

Tobias shrieked as every shard of the sharp glass was pulled excruciatingly slowly from his arm.

* * *

><p>"Mummy's almost done. One more shard, love." She got a grip on said shard, pulling it out rather easily. A grand total of twenty-seven glass shards, both big and small, had come from the teeny tiny boy's arms. Tobias' sobs had ceased minutes before, his arm practically numb with pain. She re-wet the washcloth with warm water, dabbing it gently up and down his arms. When she was finished mopping up the blood, she placed the cloth to the side. He wouldn't need stitches, as none of the wounds had been large enough, thank God. Tobias watched blearily as she reached for the disinfectant spray, shaking the bottle to ready it.<p>

"This might sting a bit, darling, so bear with me a moment." She kissed his forehead, extending his arm. Pressing the nozzle of the can, the spray coated Tobias' arm, and he screamed, the pain rushing back. Alice sighed in relief. It was good that he was still processing pain in his arm. Now she knew that the nerves hadn't been destroyed. At least, not all of them.

"I know, baby, I know. Mummy's almost finished." She began spraying his other arm, the boy sobbing violently, jerking everywhichway.

"S-Stop! Mummy stop! It hurt! It hurt!" He howled tearfully, kicking his feet and yanking his arms backwards, hitting her wrists and arms as hard as he could with his free hand. She nodded, the tears re-welling in her forest colored eyes.

"I know, poppet. I'm so sorry, but I _promise, promise, promise _that it will feel better really soon. This stuff cleans out your owie. In a minute when Mummy's all finished, we can put some medicine on it, which will make it not hurt anymore. How does that sound to you, pumpkin?" Tobias nodded, biting his lip and clenching his fists around his mother's arms. He wanted to pull away, to make the hurting stop, but Mummy said they could only do that after she cleaned it. So, he would be still and wait, wait for his mummy to make it all better again.

"Mummy's finished cleaning your owie now, darling. I'm going to put the medicine on now, okay?" Tobias hadn't even noticed her finishing his arm. He nodded vigorously in response, ready for his arms to stop hurting. Alice smiled.

"What a brave boy you are! Mummy's ever so proud of you, my love!" She touched their noses together in an eskimo kiss, grinning and giggling. Tobias laughed his father's obnoxious laugh through his tears, crinkling his nose at the tickly feeling the kisses gave. He barely even noticed his mother putting on the thick salve and wrapping his arms in white gauze.

"Woah… I looksies like a mummy!" Tobias squealed excitedly, his blue eyes sparkling and wide. Alice laughed again, ruffling the boy's soft tawny hair. She pulled him up into her arms, setting him on her hip.

"Would you like to go watch the telly again darling? Mummy has to call Daddy." Tobias' face lit up until Alice was almost certain she could see tiny stars in his eyes. Sometimes when Alfred got overly happy, his eyes did the same thing. Tobias really was his father's son to a point that it could be considered kind of scary.

"I talk!" He shrieked. England winced, craning her neck so he wasn't screaming directly into her ear.

"Alright, love. You can talk to Daddy and let him know that you're all better." He nodded, his face set in determination. Heading over to the wall phone, she dialed her husband's number. Said man answered, frantically asking if everything was okay. Alice chuckled before speaking.

"Everything's fine. Tobias is fine, I'm fine, Avery is fine. I fixed Tobi up, and his owie is all better now. Isn't that right, love?" Tobias giggled, nodding his head. He buried his face in her neck, his tiny hands fisted in her hot pink sleeveless blouse, a flush on his fat cheeks.

"I looks like a mummy!" He laughed, yanking the phone from Alice and up to his face. He practically screamed into the phone, elated that he could hear his father once again. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Mummy maked me all better! Now I looks like a mummy, Daddy!" He bounced on Alice's hips, who tried to get him to stop, as he was roughly slamming his feet into her sides. She heard America sigh shakily in relief, ecstatic that his child wasn't in any pain. Alfred then chuckled, ready to answer the boy.

"_That's awesome, buddy! I bet you were super brave, right?"_Alice could almost hear him smiling into the phone. She pulled Tobias higher on her hip, waddling into the den to sit. Setting the boy in the couch first, she took her seat next to him, pulling the thirty pound baby onto her lap.

"I was! Mummy saids so! I did cried a some a little." He seemed sad, quite clearly disappointed with himself. Alice chuckled, lightly stroking his hair, responding before Alfred could.

"You did fine, darling. You were very, _very _brave. Mummy and Daddy are so very proud of you." She smiled at him warmly. His face flushed as he was praised. That was another thing he had in common with his mother- the reaction to compliments. Alice giggled, squeezing the boy tightly, burying her face in his hair. Tobias laughed, hugging his mother around her neck in response.

Tobias grinned. "Is uncle Mattie 'n' Aunt Fran still comin'?" He tilted his head to the side in question.

"They are, darling. They should be here very soon, along with Daddy, which means Mummy needs to go and actually finish dinner." She moved him so he was next to her rather than on her, her knees popping as she stood. She winced, the exhaustion of the day suddenly hitting her in one large, aching wave. Groaning, Alice placed one hand on her lower back and rubbed, making her way into the kitchen with a yawn.

"M-Me too!" Tobias hopped off the couch in panic, scurrying after his mother as fast as he could. She sighed, but complied nonetheless, reluctantly allowing the toddler to follow her.

"Alright. But you _have _to be still and do what I say, alright?" He nodded before pulling the phone back to his mouth.

"Daddy! I gets to help Mummy in the kitchen!" Alfred chuckled warmly on the opposite line, static making it hard to hear him. It was likely he was going through a tunnel on his way home.

"_That's really cool, buddy! I bet you're gonna make dinner taste great! Don't let Mommy burn anything, kiddo!" _

"Alfred!" America cackled obnoxiously, completely aware that he had been on speaker. Alice huffed, stomping into the kitchen, a deep, irritated scowl on her face. "You're a dick!" She spat angrily. Yanking the fridge open, she puffed out her cheeks, slamming it closed once she'd gotten the milk out. Alfred have a nervous a chuckle.

"I was just kidding, babe. You're a good cook."

"Shut up you asshole." She growled, finishing up the sandwiches and moving to the stew once again. She stirred the gravy, pouring the last of the carrots into the large pot. Grumbling to herself, she leaned down and took the phone from Tobias, who was currently in the middle of rambling to his father excitedly, and clicked the end call button. Tobias gave a startled cry, gasping as she hung up. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at his mother, disbelief written on his features.

"M-Mummy... N-No! No, no, no! Give it back, Mummy! Give it back!" He wailed, toddling over to her, nearly falling twice, before grabbing her skirt and yanking harshly, standing on his tippy toes, one arm reaching up in a useless attempt to get the phone from her. "M-Mummy!" He squealed, tears and snot skittering down his cheeks and nose. Alice growled, hefting the struggling boy up into her arms and walking him kicking and screaming back into the den.

"Tobias! That is quite enough! Sit here and be good!" She deposited his roughly onto the soft couch.

"No! I wan' Daddy!" He glared at her, his eyes red and puffy, his young voice cracking slightly at the volume.

"He'll be home soon! Shut up, you're going to wake your brother!" She spat, turning swiftly on her heel and, again, making her way into the kitchen. She could hear Tobias wailing all the way from the kitchen. She felt guilty for yelling at him. It wasn't his fault, and Alfred had only been joking. She was just tired, and when she was tired, she more readily got angry with people.

She sighed, turning back to the beef stew. Luckily, it hadn't burnt, for which she was grateful. She couldn't handle having to start all over again, especially since the dinner was so soon. She couldn't handle it emotionally, either. God, she was _fried_. She yawned largely, deciding that the dinner she'd slaved away at all day would probably be finished soon. She found herself smiling at that, despite her mood. She just had to get through this God damned meal, then she could sleep. _Finally. _She hummed happily at the thought, her eyes stinging with sleep. She was so tired. So. Bloody. Tired.

Hissing softly, the Brit reached around to rub her lower back, a sharp ache making itself present. "Dammit." She grunted softly, pressing into the spot forcefully. She needed to sit down, but she knew she had to finish dinner first, or they wouldn't have anything to eat. America would be home with Amelia soon, which meant that France and Canada weren't far behind, thank God.

She growled at the phone's signature ringing for her husband, her grip tightening ever so slightly on the wooden spoon, ready to answer and chew him out, but not without first asking why the hell he wasn't there yet.

She hit the green button, raising the phone to her ear. "Alfred?" She ground out.

"Alice? Hey baby! I just got Amelia, and I'll be home in like ten!" Alice scowled.

"Hurry the hell up! You're late already. You were supposed to fix the table before dinner!"

"S-Shit. I totally forgot…." He trailed off, guilt evident in his voice.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yes, you did." She sighed. "Just… get home soon, okay? You have to help me set the table still."

She could practically hear him nodding. "Sure thing, babe. Love you." She sighed, responding with the same words.

**...**

"I'm home!" Alfred announced from the doorway, dropping his bag and kicking his shoes off, loosening his tie as he did so. He crouched down next to his daughter, his slacks crinkling, smiling brightly. "Why don't you go say 'hi' to Mommy?"

Amelia grinned brightly, already beginning to trot to the kitchen. "Mummy! Hi Mummy, I'm home!" The four year old barreled into the tiled kitchen, slamming into Alice and grabbing her legs, who squealed in response. Alfred laughed as he made his way to the room, wrapping his arms around his wife's thin waist when he reached her.

"Sorry I'm so late, babe~" He purred, reaching around to peck her on the lips, laying his head on her shoulder afterwards. Alice smiled, turning back to the heated stew as Alfred walked to the fridge for a beer, flopping down in one of the kitchen chairs once he got it. Alice scowled down at the offending meal.

"Dammit! Cook, damn you, cook! Fuck!" She howled, slamming the pale wooden spoon down on the table next to her. She slid slowly onto the white tiled floor, curling into a tight ball, sobs wracking her body. Tears spilled messily and noisily, and Alice brought her hands up in a useless attempt to stop them.

"A-Alice!" Alfred practically dove to the floor to get next to his wife. "What's wrong?!"

"I'm so bloody _exhausted_." She sobbed, laying her body against her husband's, tightly fisting her hands into her jacket. "Alfred, I haven't slept in three days! _Three. Fucking. Days." _She swiped at her eyes, but the tears still came. "Nothing is cooking right, Avery is miserable, Tobias hurt himself - because of me, no less! -and Matthew and Marianne are going to be here with the kids _in five minutes!_" She wailed. "I'm so fucking tired! Alfred, I just want to go to sleep!"

Alfred's arms tightened around her, holding her sobbing frame close to his own, rocking them both back and forth slowly. He stroked her hair lightly, letting his wife cry for a bit. He felt terrible, knowing that this was partly his fault. He should've been able to help out with Avery, but one of them had to go to the conference, and they couldn't take the kids if Avery was sick as a dog. As Avery had wanted his mother, she had chosen to stay.

"Why don't we help you out? I'll go set the table and stuff, maybe have Tobi help me out, and you finish with the stew, 'cuz I don't know how to make it. Does that sound good? I'm sure Rosie wants to help too, don't you sugar?" He peeked at his curly headed daughter, said head popping up from where it was staring at the floor in wonder. Poor child's ADHD was worse than her father's. She nodded vigorously, excited that she could help.

Alice sniffled, smiling down at her daughter, despite her tears. She wiped her eyes once more, no longer leaking any tears. She found herself giggling at her daughter's hopeful expression.

"Alright. Thank you." She smiled at Alfred, moving to get up. "You want to help Mummy, yes?" Amelia nodded excitedly, her blue eyes shining. "Well then, why don't you... Hmm... The only thing Mummy needs help with is setting the dining room table. Would you like to help Daddy and your little brother with that, my darling?" Rosie grinned, her face lighting up like the sun as she ran over to her father, pulling on him to get to the dining room.

"Hold on, baby!" He laughed, beginning to stand as well, his knees popping loudly as he stretched. "Daddy has to get the plates and silverware and stuff!" Alice watched as Alfred gathered what he needed, scurrying out to the den to get Tobias, taking Amelia with him.


End file.
